The prestigious July Cup will have an added Australian flavour with Hugh Bowman to ride outsider Winker Watson at Newmarket on Saturday.
While the Danny O’Brien-trained Star Witness is third favourite to give Australia an historic win in the race with Steven Arnold aboard, Winker Watson is a 66-1 chance.
Bowman is on a working holiday in England, teaming up with Winker Watson’s trainer Mick Channon for whom he rode on a similar trip four years ago.
Channon believes Winker Watson is a better horse than his odds indicate ahead of the horse’s second start since he returned from a spell at stud.
“I think he’ll run a real big race, I couldn’t be happier with him and I think he’s got a great chance,” Channon said on his website.
“They (bookmakers) won’t give him a chance but I’ll be very surprised if he doesn’t win something this year.
“He’s got a great attitude, a great temperament, he’s a great work horse and everything about him is fantastic.
“He got a lot of complaints about him at stud because people said he looked lame and that he was wrong behind.
“But since he’s come back to us he’s never missed a day and for a full horse like he is he’s got a temperament to die for.”
Godolphin’s Delegator is the 7-2 July Cup favourite ahead of Elzaam (6-1) and Star Witness.
Star Witness has performed creditably in England, running second in the King’s Stand Stakes and third in the Golden Jubilee at last month’s Royal Ascot meeting.
Choisir won both those races in 2003 before finishing second to Oasis Dream in the July Cup at his final start before he began his stud career.
AAP TURF
